Kriti Mehrotra
Ever since its premiere on our television screens in 1992, NBC’s ‘Dateline’ has been charting one criminal case after another to really shine a light upon the dark, twisted side of human nature. Thus, of course, its ‘Weekend Mystery’ special ‘Under A Halloween Moon’ (season 22 episode 6), delving deep into the atrocious yet enigmatic late 2007 homicide of Joel Lovelien, is no different. So now, if you wish to learn more about the same — with a particular focus on the events that transpired, its ensuing investigations, as well as legal proceedings — we’ve got the details for you.
How Did Joel Lovelien Die?
Former Great Falls resident Joel was honestly leading a good, happy, stable life in Grand Forks, North Dakota, alongside his fiancée Heather Eastling when everything turned upside down. The 38-year-old computer technician at a local hospital hence undeniably had a lot to look forward to, which is just one of the reasons why his sudden passing shocked the entire nation to its core. He was kind, he was intelligent, he was a nerd, and he was warm, but no one could’ve imagined his niceness would inadvertently lead him to lose his life on the weekend before Halloween 2007.
It was actually while Joel was celebrating the holiday with Heather at the nearby Broken Drum Bar on October 27 that the arrival of a party bus turned the tide — they were all obviously in disguises. The truth is he was having a gala time, yet once he realized someone got left behind (at around 11:30 pm) as the bus made its way to the next stop, he decided to check up on them outside.
Little did Joel know he would wind up on the pavement mere minutes later — someone managed to assault him so brutally within this brief period that blood was all over the cement near his head. The worst part, though, is the fact nothing could be done even though he was immediately rushed to the hospital as the several broken bones in his face made him choke to death on his blood.
Who Killed Joel Lovelien?
While medical professionals were looking over Joel, police officers were scrambling Broken Drum in the hopes of identifying any possible witnesses or evidence to guide them down the right path. After all, despite the fact most of them were intoxicated, there were still roughly 80 people at the lounge & casino and 40 to 50 twentysomethings on the party bus who could’ve seen the attack.
That’s how they garnered descriptions of the individuals close to Joel or the bus at around 11:30 pm and recovered the sole piece of physical proof, only to quickly follow through with them. The former included a clown, cowboy, gangster, as well as construction worker, whereas the latter was a small piece of yellow cloth — a foot or a paw from a costume — with a speck of blood. However, they also learned there were reportedly at least 3½ minutes between the moment Joel initially stepped out of the bar and the bus actually drove off, making things quite perplexing.
The fact officers soon found the clown crying in another bar and the cowboy gave them fake personal details at first before growing extremely aggressive didn’t help matters in any way either. But the following morning, once everyone was sober and they asked them to come in for a formal interview, things grew a little clearer; both the clown and the cowboy were especially exculpated. This is because while the former was crying owing to an intense argument he’d ostensibly had with his girlfriend, the latter was simply drunk and now utterly cooperative regarding his reasons.
The witnesses further told detectives two of the partygoers had actually gotten into a vicious fistfight at Broken Drum, but it didn’t involve Joel (not initially or directly, at least). He was dressed in a bright green jersey to represent his favorite hockey team, the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux, yet the conflict was between a hunter and a lion. Nevertheless, it’s still imperative since the latter was kicked off the bus for the night, and all others saw him speaking to a man in a jersey as they pulled away — he was thus suspected of having a hand in the incident.
Though once reports concerning a search for the lion began swirling, 23-year-old Travis Stay walked into the police station himself to admit he was in this costume and had lost a paw. He had bruises all across his face as well as several cuts on his hands, but he insisted it was from his altercation with the hunter, following which Joel had tried to help as if he was a long-time friend. He also conceded he’d disposed of the disguise as it was full of blood, yet helped officials recover the same and then handed them the bloodied shoes he’d been wearing that night as well.
Travis did all this within a few days of Joel’s death without a lawyer present in their company or a search warrant against him because he wholeheartedly believed he was innocent. However, the subsequent forensic analysis did indicate some of the blood on his belongings matched Joel’s, leading to his arrest for murder — but he proclaimed his innocence throughout.
Travis hence stood trial for the same in 2008 and was eventually acquitted due to a lack of concrete physical evidence. Plus, expert testimonies indicated there was no way he could have physically taken on Joel and come out on top, even if he was in a fit of rage. Therefore, unfortunately, although 15 years have passed, the 38-year-old father’s murder remains unsolved to this day.
Read More: Where is Travis Stay Now?
